First there is the happy couple, Brett and Lilah: Brett was bred by Pam Chambers of Springcreek Chinooks, who owns his dam, Springcreek Stormrunner (aka Mocha, the pulling maniac) and Carie Taylor of Moonsong Chinooks, who owns Brett's sire, PR Alpine Trefenwyd of Moonsong. Brett is a VERY HIGH ENERGY Chinook who is co owned by Carie and Daphne Lewis, and he's the demo dog for Daphne's Chalo Sulkys for Dog's.

And then there is the beautiful Lilah.  She is a very important dog, just ask her. Lilah is from the Moonsong "Premier" Litter and carries a blue blood pedigree. Her dam is Grand Ch. PR Hurricane Katsuk Rain Song, one of the top ranked conformation dogs during her limited career in the show ring. Her sire is Grand Ch. Cloudburst Wonalancet (aka Legend), one of the first Chinooks to successfully come through the Chinook Owners Association (COA) Cross Program. Where Brett has high energy and speed, Lilah brings exquisite conformation. She has a gorgeous headpiece, so difficult to find in a female Chinook, courtesy of her dam, Katsuk.

The two no sooner met at Carie's home in Kirkland, Washington than they were crazy for each other. I think both were sad to end the honeymoon and return to their respective homes.

Top, Brett demos a sulky.  Far right, Lilah shows off her gorgeous brown eyes.  Right, Lilah and Brett do a bit of dancing, and above, resting.  Needless to say, their pups will probably have pricked ears.

Like her dam, Lilah was very efficient, delivering her pups in record time, with all dry and nursing within four hours.  I know that many people love to ooo and ahhh over newborn puppies, and yes, they are cute in their own way.  But this is what Susan and I call "the potato stage."  They really are about the size of an extra large baking potato when born and they do about as much as a baking potato the first day or two.  Lilah originally had seven pups but two didn't make it through the critical first couple days.  But once they hit about Day 5, they began to put on weight by leaps and bounds and nothing was holding them back.  The four girls and one boy are all very dark pups, which will lighten to a dark tawny with black masking as they mature.  The color changes Chinook pups go through is dramatic.

Above, the pups only hours after they were born.   Right, 5 days old.  Below, Lilah took to motherhood easily and is a very protective mom.

Since Frontier puppies just don't happen every day, it was occasion for a few special visitors.  Long time Chinook owners from southern California Tracy Reinmiller and Joyce Robertson came to meet the pups.  One of the girls will go home with them when she's eight weeks old.  Their Chinooks, Bear Creek Brandy and WoodsRunner Quintessential Charm, have both passed away and their house just wasn't a home without a warm Chinook nose.  And if Tracy and Joyce were visiting, well then we had to have Connie Jones from "the other Portland" (the one in Maine) come out for a weekend too.  Add the Seattle crowd that drove down and there was a houseful the weekend the puppies were four weeks old.